XXXIV. The coming of spring

   I've got to say that I'm really disappointed that February is such a short month because now it's gone already, and I have only 4 months left of my exchange year in Switzerland. However, with the coming of March, it is beginning to get slightly, slightly warmer. There is still some snow on the ground, but most of it has melted, and yesterday I actually biked to school again instead of taking the bus. It was still cold, but it was bearable, and I actually made it back and forth without getting too out of breath.
   I keep getting more and more comfortable with school, and now I'm sort of getting into a routine where I know how much I should work for each subject according to my abilities. For instance, in English class I don't have any excuses not to homework, and in Math and Physics, I am normally capable of doing most of the work. Actually in Math, we just started a new unit on logarithms, which I have already known about for 2 years but is new for everyone else, so I've sort of been helping the others who don't understand it at all. It's really difficult to explain Math in German, but somehow I manage it alright. We also have a new student
teacher whose first language is Italian, so it's always a little distracting (and funny) during class when we have to listen to his very strong accent. For lots of words he adds an "uh" to the end. For example (in English): "It is 2 to the power of x-suh." It makes class interesting.
   I'm trying a little harder in History class because I feel a little guilty when I don't answer the homework questions about American history. It is also a little weird when my teacher discusses a topic with a few other students about the Declaration of Independence or something, and I have no idea what he's saying.
   This past week has been a little more busy because with the coming of spring comes the concerts for Kantibänd, or the school band that I sing in. I had one last Tuesday night which went alright, and I actually have another today and the three main ones later this month. I just hope it all goes well.
   Altogether I feel like my life here is really coming together, and my class at school has really accepted me into their ranks. I can't believe how many birthdays there are from my class alone. There was a birthday on Monday, Tuesday, yesterday, and today, and there is one next week, and a couple more this month. What's with spring birthdays?
   I also have good news: I will finally get to meet my host sister, who has been in Africa, this week because she is coming home! It was a little unexpected, but I am super-stoked to have another girl in the house. Sure, it might change my situation a little bit, but I am confident it will all go well.